A difficult run of jobs led this father into semi-retirement in Southeast Asia. Caring for two young children and choosing small projects created a different rhythm, with less rushing but no automatic leap in happiness.
People
Explore life after financial independence and retirement: everyday routines, changing plans and honest reflections. Read longer timelines or single interview snapshots.
Phia and Mike retired before 35 and gained more time with their boys. The change also removed familiar goals and structure. Their firsthand accounts show different adjustments: meaningful home life for Phia and a gradual shift from money anxiety toward health and relationships for Mike.
Carl Jensen’s first year brought better fitness without an instant emotional transformation. The next update put a less glamorous job at the center: lunches, homework and the daily demands of raising children while his wife worked. The freedom was valuable precisely because it could be spent on ordinary responsibilities.
Joe Udo left his engineering job at 38 while his wife continued working. Parenting, rental management and a substantial blogging schedule shaped a retirement that remained busy and productive.
J left a Vancouver financial career when his daughter was young. Parenthood made the departure easier to explain, and freedom supported his wife’s artistic travel. By the following year, childcare anchored his days while photography and chess occupied the remaining space.